A fighter from Yemen's southern separatist movement holds a position in a street of the country's second city of Aden on January 28, 2018, during clashes with forces loyal to the Saudi-backed president - AFP

Tank battle rocks Yemen's 'coup-hit' Aden

YEMEN - 30 January 2018: At least 36 people have been killed and 185 wounded in two days of heavy fighting between separatists and government troops in Yemen's interim capital of Aden, the Red Cross said Monday.

Heavy fighting intensified at night after the two sides used tank and artillery on the second day of an attempted "coup" in Aden, military sources said.

As the fighting escalated, the Saudi-led military coalition which supports the government called for dialogue and for it to hear the demands of the separatists in the southern port city.

"We are calling on the legitimate government to look into the demands of the political and social movement," said coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki.

He urged "restraint" from the separatists who are backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), an ally in the coalition, and for them to "hold talks with the legitimate government".

The head of the International Committee for the Red Cross mission in Yemen, Carlos Batallas, tweeted that "the clashes in #Aden have so far killed 36 people and wounded 185".

The ICRC did not provide figures on civilian casualties.

Civilians were hunkered down at home as five separatist fighters were killed by snipers and four soldiers died in clashes, military sources said, with tanks and heavy artillery entering the fray.

The clashes came after separatist forces seized government buildings in what Yamen's prime minister called an attempted coup.

At night, pro-separatist security forces advanced in some areas and were just one kilometre (mile) away from the presidential palace in Aden, security and military sources told AFP.

They also seized two military camps near Aden international airport which remained close for the second day, the sources said.

Aden has served as the headquarters of Saudi-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government since it was forced out of the capital Sanaa by Shiite rebels three years ago.

The separatists -- who want the return of the independent South Yemen that existed before 1990 -- supported Hadi's forces against the rebels, but tensions between them have risen in recent months.

Fighters from both sides have been deployed in most areas of Aden, paralysed for a second day after 15 people were killed and dozens wounded on Sunday.

The hostilities erupted early Sunday when pro-government troops prevented supporters of the separatist Southern Transitional Council from entering Aden for a rally.

The flare-up has added yet another dimension to one of the world's most complicated conflicts, a civil war that has left thousands dead and millions on the brink of starvation.

Separatists have dispatched additional forces from the central province of Marib and the southern province of Abyan, security sources said.

The forces from Abyan marched on Aden after clashes with loyalists on the way.

After the separatists seized the government headquarters on Sunday, Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher denounced a "coup... in Aden against legitimacy and the country's unity".

He urged the Saudi-led coalition to intervene in its defence.

The coalition launched air strikes against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels in March 2015 and sent troops to support Hadi's forces, fearing that Tehran would gain a foothold in the country on Saudi Arabia's southern border.

- 'Shooting' all night -

On Sunday, security sources said pro-separatist units trained and supported by the UAE had taken over the government headquarters after clashes.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said fighting continued overnight.

"All night shooting in Aden #Yemen, including heavy weapons," Alexandre Faite, the head of the ICRC delegation in the country based in Sanaa, said on Twitter.

"Those in southern part of city, including (ICRC staff) still unable to get out."